Portable computing devices, such as laptop computers, personal data assistants (PDAs), palmtop computers, etc., have become increasingly popular in recent years. Portable computing devices enable users to make efficient use of travel and commuting time, and to work while away from the office. To increase productivity and promote quality of work-life, many companies provide portable computing devices to their employees.
One problem with portable computing devices is that the portable nature of such devices makes them particularly susceptible to loss and theft. Portable computing devices routinely are reported lost or stolen in airport terminals, hotel lobbies, and workplaces. The computing device itself is a tangible asset that is expensive to replace. In addition, the value of the data stored on a lost or stolen portable computing device may eclipse the value of the device itself. Further, such data may be of a sensitive nature, and public disclosure of the data may have detrimental consequences for its owner. Therefore, recovery of the tangible device, recovery of the data stored thereon, and prevention of public disclosure of such data are all high priorities for owners whose portable computing devices are lost or stolen.
Another problem with portable computing devices is that companies often have difficulty keeping track of company-owned portable computing devices. These devices are easy for employees to take from place to place within the company, trade with other employees, or take home, on vacation, or on business trips. When an employee leaves the company for other employment opportunities, the employee may fail to return a company-owned portable computing device, particularly when the device has been used at the employee's home. It is easy for the company to lose track of who is using a particular device or where the device is located, making internal asset tracking and loss prevention problematic.
Increasingly, consumers are leasing portable computing devices, or purchasing the devices on credit. One problem creditors experience is that the portable computing devices are difficult to recover from delinquent customers, because delinquent customers often avoid contact with their creditors. In addition, leased computers may be lost or stolen, and become difficult for creditors to locate.
Another related problem is that entities that own fleets of portable computing devices often desire to communicate with the many users of the fleet. Conventional communication methods, such as email, suffer from the drawback that the company must maintain current email addresses for every user, and rely upon the user to read the email. User addresses frequently change, and the entity may lose track of the user. In addition, the user may delete an email without reading it. This makes it difficult for the entity to confirm that a particular message was read by a particular user.